What is in this article?:

Fig 1. Embedded World Conference 2012 will be held at the Nuremberg Exhibition Complex, where nearly 800 electronics companies will be showing their technology.

Fig 2. Nuremberg Aldstadt is the place to stay. It’s historic, pretty, and full of things to do in the evening.

Fig 3. “Amazing! It wrecked the car aerial just like the real ones.”

Fig 4. “No, I can’t get BBC TV on it.”

Fig 5. “This is another one of me on the beach at Benidorm. Only another 89 photos to go.”

Fig 6. Make a walk-around plan and stick to it.

Ask major players in the electronics market about which European show they exhibit at specifically to meet electronics engineers, and most will say Embedded World.

Ever since its launch by two engineering brothers in the little German town of Sindlefingen near Stuttgart, the show has been a focal point for international electronics engineers. This year’s conference themes reflect this focus.

In The Sessions

For example, ARM cortex architectures will be the subject of daily workshops where participants can work on ARM-related topics and deepen their knowledge.

Multicore components are playing an increasingly important role in embedded applications. Consequently, the programme committee has devoted a session specifically to them as experts investigate the issue from different angles, such as power management, virtualization, and task scheduling.

Because devices are being increasingly networked, new challenges arise for embedded systems. In a whole-day workshop on 28 February and a whole-day session on “Cryptology and embedded Security” on 29 February, experts will pass on their expertise on the secure operation of embedded systems.

With experts like Christof Paar of Ruhr-Universität, Bochum, Bruce Powel Douglass of IBM, and David Kleidermacher of Green Hills Software, participating attendees will get detailed insight into the sensitive subject of networked systems security.

The session “Managing Embedded System Development and Life Cycles” will suit not just developers but also project organizers and development managers. The conference offers them their own new platform where they can exchange ideas and information and discuss successful ways of resolving problems.

In “Software Development and Debug Methods,” participants will discuss ideas about error search that are becoming increasingly important in modern software development. Representing a host of speakers with technical expertise will be Greg Davis of Green Hills Software, an expert in the design of secure and highly available systems.

Low-energy embedded systems, an important theme, also has been allocated a session. Successful low-energy solutions will be presented, and a system for objectively comparing processors and microcontrollers will be introduced.

Further information about the congress programme of the Embedded World Conference 2012 and how to register can be accessed at www.embedded-world.eu.

Getting To The Show

Nuremberg is not as accessible a city for overseas visitors as its exhibition rival city, Munich. There are few direct flights except for Air Berlin, which flies into Nuremberg from London Gatwick. It’s also good and cheap.

For long-haul travelers, the best bet is to fly to Frankfurt and then transfer to another short flight to Nuremberg or take the high-speed train. Alternatively, visitors can fly into Munich and then get the high-speed train from there.

My recommendation is to fly into Frankfurt. The train station is part of the airport complex. Get into Frankfurt at about 10:00 a.m., get over to the train station around 11:30 a.m., and enjoy a high-speed ride on the ICE to Nuremberg.

The ride takes about an hour and a half. Use the buffet car. The food is pretty good and you can sit back, relax, and consume as the train zaps you through the Bavarian countryside at over 200 kmh. Prost!

For exhibition visitors, my critical and time-tested advice always applies about hotel accommodation. Do not under any circumstances stay near the exhibition. Forget ideas of morning efficiency and time pressures, meetings, and what have you. Stay as near as possible to the Altestadt, Nuremberg’s historic city centre. It really isn’t very far from there to the exhibition grounds anyway.

Nuremberg has its very own trademarked specialty sausage that must be tried and eaten with a challenging dollop of sauerkraut. After you enjoy that meal, you’ll need to ensure your hydration is up to spec. There are scores of bars, but a visit to the microbrewery Bar Fusser will satisfy most thirsts. See more at www.barfuesser-nuernberg.de/index.html.

For those who prefer the more sophisticated dining that’s often described as modern European, whatever that means, there’s the impeccable Sebald Restaurant. The food is very, very nice but not cheap, so make sure you’re cleared for it on your expenses budget. For details, go to www.restaurant-sebald.de/.

Getting To Work

Enough about the fun. You’re in Nuremberg for the Embedded World Conference 2012, which is very easy to reach from the city centre.

From the Hauptbahnhof (main rail station), use U Bahn train Line U1. Board the train heading to Langwasser Süd. It’s only six stops to the exhibition, and alight at the station called Messe.

The journey time is about 12 minutes from the Hauptbahnhof, hence my advice to stay in the old part of town rather than some dull faceless hotel near the exhibition. For train details, see www.urbanrail.net/eu/de/n/nuernberg.htm.

The train’s Web page also offers guides about the fare structure. Unlike the Munich U-Bahn/S-Bahn fare structure, which even Einstein would’ve failed to comprehend, Nuremberg’s system is a lot smaller and correspondingly easier to understand (well, almost) price-wise.

So you’re at the show. Expect to see close to 800 exhibiting companies. It’s easy to get around this event, but trying to see all the technology that’s packed in there is the route to certain madness.

If you miss anything at Embedded World, check out Electronic Design Europe, which will be reporting on the show with a mixture of articles and videos that we’ll be shooting live at the show.